In Preparation

In preparation of felting, the first step should always be to make sure your bundles of wool are out of the reach of my cat, Gadget.

This was not going to be what my first felting blog post was about.  However, I just had to chase down the cat and rescue my wool – again, so I changed my mind.

A new batch of wool came in the mail yesterday.  My goal for this morning is to add it to my supply spreadsheet and cut off pieces to go on my color samples chart.  To aid in this goal, I moved the bundles closer to the computer (and away from their previous higher residence).   Gadget was asleep somewhere, probably behind the recliner, and I was safe.

I think she has a sixth sense about some of the things that she really likes.  Unlike any normal feline, she doesn’t generally like fish.  She does however like oatmeal cookies, waffles, string cheese, and (unfortunately) my wool.  She doesn’t try to eat it.  She just wants to run away with it and lick it to death.

When I first started teaching myself to do sculptural needle felting, the goal was to make a nativity set for our first Christmas together.  I was enjoying the process and the finished product so much, that when I finished one figure, I didn’t want to put it away.  They all stayed where I could see them while I worked.  Presumably, this was to make sure their height stayed the same.  In actuality, it was because I just wanted to look at them.

I had just finished making Joseph and moved on to the adult shepherd.  Joseph was sitting on the box next to me, and I was focused on not stabbing myself or the wire that was inside the shepherd’s arms.  When I finally looked up, Joseph was missing.  I finally found him on the other side of the living room receiving a rather violent bath from Gadget.  After rescuing him, I had to repair a few things, including the beard that she licked almost completely off.  The poor guy looks somewhat scraggly now, but at least he survived his harrowing encounter with the furry shark.

I still haven’t figured out what about the wool (more so the batting than the roving) draws Gadget like a magnet.  She’s also managed to run off with baby Jesus and a few sheep, but they fared somewhat better.

Not only is needle felting fun and somewhat hazardous to my fingers, it’s also a sport!

Now that I’ve had my morning chase and rescued the wool, I should start cataloging it.  🙂